Many enterprises (e.g., corporations, partnerships, governments, academic institutions, other organizations, etc.) maintain enterprise computer networks that allow enterprise users, such as employees, to access enterprise applications, data, and services (collectively known simply as “resources”), such as hardware and software applications for email, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), documents, document management services, enterprise application stores, and the like. Enterprises often allow remote access, such as when enterprise users are not in an enterprise network, using virtualization and other techniques. Also, many enterprises allow users to access enterprise resources via various types of computing devices including desktop computers and mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablet computers, PDAs (personal digital assistant), etc. Additionally, these computer networks and resources may include various cloud computing components.
Virtualized computing resources generally allow for the operating systems, applications, and user settings of multiple users to be included on a single physical machine. Desktop virtualization technology allows multiple instances of an operating system to be kept separate, so the activities of one user do not affect the experience of other users. Cloud computing environments allow for computers to be owned and managed by a cloud operator with resources stored by those computers to be remotely accessed by cloud users, who may be customers of the cloud operator.
Enterprises typically deploy enterprise mobility management (EMM) systems to assist in the management and control of remote access to enterprise resources by mobile devices. EMM systems have traditionally taken the approach of managing entire mobile devices through what are known as mobile device management (MDM) approaches. In such cases, enterprises typically issue mobile devices to employees, which are often intended exclusively for business use, and the enterprise maintains control over the mobile devices and all of their applications and data. A recent trend is to allow employees to use their own mobile device(s) for work purposes (a scenario known as BYOD—bring your own device). It is desirable in this scenario too for the enterprise to maintain control over enterprise resources, which may be accessed by, may be run on, or may be stored on an employee's mobile device. Many enterprise and non-enterprise applications are available for mobile devices. Enterprise mobile applications may be supported via local application delivery or hosted application delivery. Because the choice of mobile device is with the enterprise user, and mobile devices vary in their operating systems and versions of those operating systems, an appropriate EMM solution should include support for a variety of applications and mobile device platforms.
A virtual machine receiver is an application that allows a user a type of virtualized remote access to corporate applications, desktops and data and other enterprise resources. Each receiver communicates with a central enterprise server that lists which applications and other resources have been selected by or are available to the user. Enterprise application stores can provide a centralized point for such applications and resources.
Social networking has become immensely popular. Social network platforms provide a public, semi-public, or private network location where authorized users may share information and collaborate. Known enterprise based social platforms allow an enterprise to set up an internal social web site where users within the organization may share documents and have discussions, and where users from outside the company have no, or only limited, visibility.